Internal-combustion engine



H. 'u. SPENCE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV: 6. 1919.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Uhll'llfiD STATES HENRY U. SPENCE, 015 PAINESVILLE, OHIO,

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8,1921,

Application filed November -6, 1919. Serial No. 336,107.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY U. Srnnon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Painesville, in the county of Lake and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

In internal combustion engines, the oil necessary for lubricating the engaging sur faces of the cylinders and pistons is thrown into the open lower ends of the cylinders by the cranks and connecting rods when the en gine is in operation; and this is true whether the engine is provided with a force feed system of lubrication or a splash system of lubrication.

In commercial engines, employing either system of lubrication, as they are generally constructed, more oil is delivered into each cylinder than is necessary. Engines are or ganized to do this on the theory, probably, that it is better to have too much than too little oil; and also because very little thought seems to have been devoted to tinding means for insuring the delivery of justthe right quantity of oil.

So long as the cylinders and pistons are unworn and nicely fit each other no harm results from the presence of this excess of oil in the engine cylinders; but, when the cylinders or pistons become worn, then the excess oil works its way up past the pistons into the combustionchamber above them where it is burned. This causes the rapid deposition of carbon in the cylinders, and upon the points of the spark plugs, with results too well known to require any explanation here.

The usual practice for remedying this condition is to rebore the cylinder and provide a new piston and piston rings which is a very expensive method of taking care of this trouble.

The object of this invention is to limit and control the quantity of oil which may be thrown, in the manner stated, into the lower ends of the cylinders of such an engine; and the invention consists in an oil deflector plate secured to each connecting rod over the associated crank pin; and also in the various details in the construction of the plate, and the means tor connecting it in operative position as stated, all of which are shown in the drawings and hereinafter described and pointed out definitely in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of the lower part of an internal combustion engine, showing only the lower portion of one of the cylinders-the resent invention being applied to said engine. Fig. 2 is a detached side elevation of the deflector plate in its preferred form, as shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same plate; Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the lower part of an engine with which a slightly modified form of the oil deflector is employed; and Fig; 5 is a plan view of the deflector plate shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the parts by reference characters, 10 represents the cylinder of an internal combustion engine; 12 represents the crank shaft, 14- the crank pin associated with said cylinder, 15 one of the crank cheeks, and 16 the associated connecting rod. This connecting rod is of conventional form, having at its lower end a half bearing 17 which partially embraces the crank pin 14;, and a removable cap 18 which completes the bearing of the connecting rod upon the crank pin, said cap being secured to the lower end of the connecting rod by bolts 19.

The crank shaft and the pa ts thereof and the lower end of the connecting rod are all inclosed within the crank case 20, which may contain associated with each crank an oil pit 21 into which a part of the lower end of the connecting rod or crank or both may dip as the shaft rotates. r

The foregoing is typical of the conven-' tional construction ot internal combustion engines of the splash lubrication type. v

T he lower end of the connecting rod dipping into the oil in the oil pit takes up a supply of oil, and this will be thrown by centrifugal force as the crank shaft revolves, so that much of it will go into the lower open end of the cylinder 10. As before stated, the amount of oil so thrown into the cylinder is greatly in excess of that necessary for lubricating the engaging surfaces of the cylinder-and piston, but so long as the piston and cylinder are nicely fitted to one another this excess does no harm.

25 represents an oil deflector. It is preferably made of thin sheet metal, and has a hole 26 through which the connecting rod passes when said plate is secured in place just above the associated crank pin. This plate is then fixed to the connecting rod preferably by means of the same bolts which connect the connecting rod and its cap. The Width of this deflector plate is substantially such that it extends almost the entire distance across the space between the two crank cheeks.

In the best form this deflector plate is so connected to the connecting rod that the plate inclines upward in the direction in which the rod is moving through the upper portion of the stroke of the piston, said di' rection of movement being shown by the arrow on Fig. 1.

When so constructed the deflector not only intercepts most of the oil spray and oil drops which would otherwise be thrown into the cylinder, but it also passes at an angle through the mist of oil and beats it down back toward the oil pit. This is the con struction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

The construction shown in Figs. i and. 5 is such that the two arms of the deflector plate are substantially horizontal although they have their endsturned down slightly.

The deflector plate as shown on Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, is a piece of sheet metal having a hole through it for passage of the con-- necting rod. This hole is produced by punching "from the center of the plate the tongue 27, which is left connected at one end to said plate. The tongue is then bent to the shape shown in Fig. 2, the foot oi the tongue being the part through which a bolt passes to fasten it to the connecting rod. The hole 28 also through the plate is formed so that the metal surrounding it lies in a horizontal plane and fits snugly upon the connecting rod end.

At some point this deflector plate is split from its margin to the central hole, the plate on one side of this split be turned back enough to allow the connecting rod to pass through it after which the plate may .be straightened out so as to take the position shown.

Having described my invention, it claim:

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a crank case, a cylinder whose lower end is in open communi cation with the crank case, a crank shaft mounted in said crank case, a piston in the cylinder, and a connecting rod connecting the piston and crank shaft, of an oil deflector plate which embraces and is fixed to the connecting rod close to and over the associated crank pin.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a connecting rod thereof, of a transversely disposed oil deflector plate which embraces and is secured to the connecting rod close to and over the associated crank pin said deflector being inclined upward in the direction inwhich the said connecting rod moves during the upper portion of the stroke of the associated piston.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a connecting rod thereof of a transversely disposed oil deflecting plate which embraces the connecting rod. above the associated crank pin and is secured to the connecting red by one or more of the same bolts which secure the connecting rod to the connecting rod cap.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a connecting rod thereof, oi a transversely disposed oil deflector plate having a hole through which the connecting rod passes, and having integral tongues of which one is longer than the other, said tongues being secured to the connecting rod by the same bolts which secure the connecting rod cap to the connecting rod.

5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a connecting rod thereof, of a transversely extended oil deflector plate which embraces the connecting rod and is detachably secured thereto close to and over the associated crank pin.

6. An attachment for an internal combustion engine comprising an oil deflector plate having through it a hole for the passage oi"; the connecting rod and having a portion adapted to be secured to the connecting rod adjacent its lower end when the plate is close to and above the associated crank pin.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HENRY U. SPENOE. 

